New doubts regarding fairness, openness and administrative competence have surfaced in relation to granting wider access to Drummond Place Garden (Issue 215; Breaking news, 28.2.13, 11.3.13).
Like the previous two critics, this latest reader prefers to remain anonymous for fear of the social consequences.
In the past, our source claims, people could put their name on a waiting list for a key to the Garden. But having written consistently to the secretary about 10 years ago, asking for this to be done, their name never appeared to actually get added. Further follow-ups fell on deaf ears. A neighbour who had been on the list five times over a 10-year period found her name kept getting dropped.
Meanwhile, some residents on Scotland Street recently got a key despite never having been on a list in the past. From all this, our source concludes:
'I think there has always been a certain amount of allocation of keys to people deemed worthy to have one.'
About 15 years ago, our source rented a flat on an adjacent street which came with a key. They were thus occasionally able to run in the Garden during the daytime, but never came across anyone else there:
'I always thought it was a shame because there was also a sense of danger at being in a rather empty park like that. People could easily scale the railings (as students often did).'
Does this match your experience? So far we've heard mostly from critics of the status quo – but do you want to speak out in favour of it? Please contact us by email: spurtle@hotmail.co.uk Twitter: @theSpurtle Facebook: Broughton Spurtle
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Reaction by email (18.3.13)
A local resident (who wishes to remain anonymous) writes: 'Following your coverage on the Drummond Place Gardens, I thought I would check where i was on the list. [They put down their name in 2009.] Again it appears to be incompetence, and I too have been removed from the list ... or had never actually been placed on it.' Our correspondent was also surprised to learn that their property – adjacent to Drummond Place – was 'not in the catchment area'.